I remember the excitement of discovering that Oddbins were selling the 1997 version of this wine for just £5 for a half bottle back in 2001. This was in the…
Altano Organic Douro Red 2012, a brilliant bargain
This is a brilliant bargain! It’s a grown-up, proper Douro red for less than a tenner. The Symingtons are the largest organic farmer in the Douro with 126 hectares of…
Some remarkable older wines: 1937 Noval Colheita, 1975 Deutz and a 1919 Sherry
Three nice older bottles opened at the Gonzalez Byass 10th anniversary dinner last week: Champagne Deutz Blanc de Noir 1975 France (magnum) This Pinot Noir comes from Grand Cru Aÿ,…
Pre- and post-run wines from last weekend at Pichon
Last Friday night I stayed at Château Pichon in Pauillac, in preparation for the long run the next day. I was intending to drink very little, but in the end…
Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 2012
So, Noval has done another ‘eccentric’ declaration, this time of the 2012, and it’s quite early, too. Christian Seely announced the declaration on his blog, earlier this month. His logic…
Some great wines at lunch, including Cristal, Faiveley Corton and Schlumberger GC Saering
After judging the Roederer Awards on Tuesday, we repaired to Chez Buce, where – naturally – we popped a couple of bottles of Roederer’s Cristal. This was followed up with…
Churchill’s Quinta da Gricha Vintage Port 2011
OK folks, a real-time tasting note. I’m off early in the morning, but for some inexplicable reason I thought it would be a good idea to open a bottle of…
In Lisbon with the young winemakers of Portugal
So I was in Lisbon. For one night only. The occasion? The ‘Young Winemakers’ tasting. Vadio, Conceito, Hobby, Clip and Carmelao are five young-ish Portuguese producers (with six winemakers in…
A lovely affordable Douro red from Churchill
Very impressed by this 2011 Douro red from Churchill. It’s not expensive, but it offers a real taste of the region, combining ripeness with definition. It’s stocked by Majestic and…